Over 70 years ago, Jean Zay, the Minister for Education and Fine Arts in France, had an idea to hold an event that would showcase achievements in the cinematic arts not just from France, but from various parts of the world (and also to rival the annual Venice Film Festival, but the ‘showcasing achievements’ part sounds better). It was supposed to begin in 1939, however, because of the ongoing World War, the celebration of the festival was halted; ultimately, the first festival was held on the 20th of September in 1946, and it has been celebrated every year since then (except in 1948 and 1950, budget problems prevented the festival from happening).

(Photos from the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946)

Today, the Cannes International Film Festival (or, en français: Le Festival International du Film de Cannes) is considered the most popular and most prestigious film festival in the entire world. Annually held in May, it takes place at the Palais des Festivals et de Congrés, which was built specifically to host the festival. This 12-day celebration features the best films of all genres from all around the world; and, being the glamorous and esteemed event that it is, only people with invitations can join in on the fun.

What exactly happens at the festival? There are lots of events that take place in that week, but the main event of the entire festival is The Official Selection where films compete for various prizes like the: 1. Palme d’Or(Golden Palm)—which is given to the best film in competition, and is considered the highest and most prestigious award; 2. Grand Prix(Grand Prize of the Festival)—which is second highest award; 3. Prix du Jury(Jury Prize)—which is third highest award; 4. Prix Un Certain Regard—which is competed for by films that are unique in nature and that seek international recognition and distribution (the films competing in this category are run parallel to those competing for the Palme d’Or); 5. Cinéfondationprizes—which are given to student-made films; and 6. Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera)—which is given to the best first feature film of a director.

(Left: Quentin Tarantino winning the Palme d'Or for 'Pulp Fiction' in 1994. Right: Léa Seydoux, Abdellatif Kechiche, and Adèle Exarchopoulos winning the Palme d'Or for 'Blue is the Warmest Color' in 2013, the first time the award was also presented to the lead actresses of the film.)

Those are not the only awards given during the festival; those are just the ones awarded by the jury. Appointed by the festival’s board of directors, the jury comprises of a diverse group of esteemed people from the film industry from all around the world, chosen for their achievements and reputation. The members change every year. The other awards not mentioned above are given by independent entities who are not part of the jury.

The festival has been around for 67 years now, and still continues to be successful because at its core, the festival is all about giving recognition to films that deserve it. Since the festival is a highly publicized event, the films that are showcased have wide audiences that reach even beyond France. And, despite being attended by mostly film professionals, almost anyone can submit a film for viewing, be it a newbie or a veteran, to show that good films can come from anywhere. Though many things have changes about the festival for the many years it has been taking place, it still remains to achieve one thing, and that is passion for cinema.

(Left: The members of the jury of the 67th Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Right: Outside the theatre at the Palais des Festivals et de Congrés.)

Click here for a list of all films that have won the Palme d'Or. Click here for a list of the winners of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, aka movies you should watch out for.